Dead or Alive Xtreme 2

Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2
North American boxart
Developer(s)	Team Ninja
Publisher(s)	Tecmo
Designer(s)	Tomonobu Itagaki
Platform(s)	Xbox 360
Release date(s)	JP November 22, 2006 NA November 13, 2006 EU December 8, 2006
Genre(s)	Sports
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer (via Xbox Live)
Rating(s)	ACB: PG CERO: D (17+) ESRB: M (Mature) PEGI: 12+
Media/distribution	DVD-ROM

Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 (DOAX2) (デッドオアアライブエクストリーム2 Deddo oa Araibu Ekusutorīmu 2) is a 2006 video game for the Xbox 360 game console. Developed by Team Ninja, it is the sequel to Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball. The title expands upon the activities available in the original, supplementing beach volleyball with additional beach-related mini-games.

Story

The background story to the game is that Zack has resurrected "Zack Island" from the depths of the sea, where it was buried following a previous volcanic eruption. He has re-dubbed it "New Zack Island", and has once again tricked the girls into coming to his island. The instruction manual details the differing reasons for which each girl has come to the island, while cut-scenes further flesh out the plot details.

Gameplay

Much like the original, Dead or Alive Xtreme beach vollyball features a two-week vacation mode, where the player can indulge in a variety of activities (listed below). Each day is broken up into three segments (morning, afternoon, and evening), where players can perform a single activity during each.

The game puts a strong emphasis on friendship; players (playing as one of the women) must befriend the other girls by buying them gifts they enjoy from the various stores on the island, playing pool-hopping and playing butt battles. Doing so will increase the bond between the two characters.

The former "main event" from Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, beach volleyball is once again present. Similar to the original, players must have a partner in order to compete in a two-on-two 7-point volleyball match. The gameplay has been modified to make the game slightly more difficult and to add variety. While there are still only two buttons necessary for gameplay (pass/block and bump/spike), greater manual control is required as, unlike the original, girls will not automatically maneuver themselves into the best formation. In the online mode, two players can compete against each other, each having a computer-controlled partner. Lastly, the camera has been slightly modified to address the criticism that the one in the original game moved erratically or too frequently.^[1] The offline two player "Exhibition" mode from the previous game has been removed, forcing players who wish to play against other players to do so via Xbox Live.

An all new game mode which allows the girls to race on jet skis, either offline or on Xbox Live. The game has been compared to the Wave Race series.^[2]

Aside from the main beach volleyball mode, this is the only mini-game which supports multiplayer play via Xbox Live, making all others single-player only:

• Pool Hopping is a mini-game carried over from the previous title, although with slight modifications to account for the lack of pressure sensitivity on the Xbox 360 controller. In this game, players race another girl, hopping across multi-colored floating pads.
• Beach Flags is a new mini-game to the series which is simple in nature, but can be quite difficult and frustrating.
• Butt Battle, also dubbed the "Hip Battle", challenges the player to knock her opponent off a shared floating pad before the same can be done to them.
• Tug-of-War is very similar to the "Butt Battle" in the manner in which it is played.
• The final mini-game, Water Slide, involves successfully sliding down a water slide at high speeds.

Shopping is an essential part of the game, buying accessories, swimsuits or food and drinks. Similar to the original, the game features a casino which players can visit during the evenings. Once there, one can partake in several games, including poker, blackjack, roulette and a variety of slot machines (themed after each woman). There are also three hotels for the girls to stay.

Development

Developed exclusively for the Xbox 360, the title runs on a heavily-modified version of the engine used in Dead or Alive 4,^[3] allowing for new inclusions such as self-shadowing and new cloth simulation techniques.^[4] The Marine Race mini-game, however, uses a completely new physics engine, although with similar graphics.

As well as the gameplay tweaks (as compared to the original), various cosmetic modifications were made. For example, the female characters' individual breasts now have their own "physics."^[2] This allows each breast to behave differently, although this has been criticized for making the breasts move in an exaggerated fashion (i.e., they often continue moving for an unnaturally long time after a character has stopped moving and sometimes one or both breasts will freeze in mid-bounce). Additionally, the game adds a new "tan line system" in which swimsuits realistically block tanning; changing swimsuits frequently will prevent tan lines from appearing.

Instead of relying on a single game mode, Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 contains a number of different sub-games. Starting with an initial pool of 42 different mini-game ideas, a total of 7 games (counting beach volleyball) actually made the final cut.^[1] During the development process, creator Tomonobu Itagaki stated that he would not be adding activities like trampoline games and wet T-shirt contests to the series. He indicated that he felt that this would come off as vulgar and "show the women in a negative light".^[3] Despite this, however, a pole-dancing minigame/clip was included as a bonus after getting all 7s with Christie's slot machine in a certain order.

Characters

In Dead or Alive Xtreme 2, players are able to play as any of the nine girls currently present in the series. Each girl in the game has certain items and hobbies which she likes or dislikes, and these preferences influence her reaction upon receiving a gift. Characters also each have an individual favorite color, again affecting their like or dislike of a certain item (and the wrapping paper used to wrap it). The playable characters are (in brackets: their favourite color, and favorite food):

• Ayane (Dark Purple, Marron glacé)
• Christie (Black, Tomato juice)
• Helena (Pearl White, Blancmange)
• Hitomi (Sky Blue, Sachertorte)
• Kasumi (Milky Pink, Strawberry millefeuille)
• Kokoro (Orange, Japanese fruit cocktail)
• Lei Fang (Lemon Yellow, Almond tofu)
• Lisa (Crimson Red, Cherry pie)
• Tina (Sapphire Blue, Seafood)

Note that Kokoro did not appear in Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball and hence is a new addition to the cast of available volleyball players.

Voice cast

English

• Kari Wahlgren - Kasumi/Niki
• Hynden Walch - Hitomi
• Janna Levenstein - Ayane
• Kate Higgins - Tina
• Zinnia Su - Leifang
• Karen Strassman - Helena
• April Stewart - Christie
• Masasa Moyo - Lisa
• Kathryn Feller - Kokoro
• Khary Payton - Zack

Japanese

• Houko Kuwashima - Kasumi
• Yui Horie - Hitomi
• Wakana Yamazaki - Ayane
• Yūko Nagashima - Tina
• Yumi Tōma - Leifang
• Yuka Koyama - Helena/Niki
• Kotono Mitsuishi - Christie
• Maaya Sakamoto - Lisa
• Ayako Kawasumi - Kokoro
• Bin Shimada - Zack

Music

Background music includes:

• "Like That Girl" by Fatty Koo
• "Another Love Story" by Play
• "If It Don't Fit" by B*Witched
• "Sweet Sixteen" by Hilary Duff
• "The Kids Don't Like It" by Reel Big Fish
• "Double Lovin'" by Baha Men
• "Holla!" by Baha Men
• "Quiero que tú me quieras" by Olga Tañón
• "Nothing To Lose" by Sweet Female Attitude
• "Flowers" (Cutfather & Joe Mix) by Sweet Female Attitude
• "Dreamin'" by Sweet Female Attitude
• "Lovin' You" by Janet Kay
• "How Crazy Are You?" by Meja (Main Theme)
• "Is This Love" by Bob Marley

Reception

Reception
Review scores
Publication	Score
Game Informer	7.5/10
IGN	6.4/10 [5]
Official Xbox Magazine	6.5/10

Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 got generally lower review scores than its predecessor. In its review of the game, TeamXbox stressed that while Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 has impressive graphics, multiple activities and nice artistry, the game is simply not fun to play.^[6] On a scale of 1 to 10, the reviewer gave it a score of 6.7. TeamXbox.com gave its predecessor a much higher score of 9.2. Metacritic aggregates a rating of only 53%.^[7]

Online reviews from IGN and 1UP.com share similar opinions. The reviews suggest that the added mini-games, including the Butt Battle and Tug-of-War are based highly on luck, relying on an arbitrary button press to counteract what one thinks one's opponent is going to do next. The game is also apparently too similar to the original DOAX for most reviewers' likings, stating that a large amount of the girls’ animations were taken from the original title and simply tweaked to fit the new game engine. Changes to the volleyball portion, still the main attraction of the game, have apparently made it significantly more difficult. Lastly, certain reviews criticized the new breast physics, causing them to bounce independently when running or moving and continue to jiggle or swing even when the character is still, resulting in awkward sequences. In addition, this extra focus on the women's breasts and their wildly exaggerated animation led many reviews to state that this installment crossed the line from the naughty but fun and playful voyeurism of the previous game to downright creepiness and perversion. ^[8]

In 2006, GamesRadar ranked gravure scenes of DOAX to be one of the 100 greatest gaming moment in history.^[9]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Mielke, James (2006-05-11). "Team Ninja's Itagaki E3 Interview". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3150712&did=1. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Perry, Douglas (2006-09-05). "Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 Hands-on". IGN. http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/730/730471p2.html. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "IGN: E3 2006: The Itagaki Interview". IGN. 2006-05-11. http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/707/707859p1.html. 
4. ^ "IGN: DOAX2 Update". IGN. 2006-03-29. http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/699/699152p1.html. 
5. ^ var authorId = "48841511" by Erik Brudvig (2006-11-13). "Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 Review - Xbox 360 Review at IGN". Xbox360.ign.com. http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/745/745683p1.html. Retrieved 2011-06-13. 
6. ^ Nardozzi, Dale (2006-11-13). "Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 Review (Xbox 360)". TeamXbox.com. http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1252/Dead-or-Alive-Xtreme-2/p1/. 
7. ^ "Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 for Xbox 360 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. 2006-11-13. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/deadoralivextreme2?q=dead%20or%20alive%20xtreme%202. Retrieved 2011-06-13. 
8. ^ Goldstein, Hilary (2006-11-13). "IGN: Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 Review - Another Take". IGN. http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/745/745683p3.html. 
9. ^ "101 Greatest Gaming Moments, Day One". GamesRadar. http://www.gamesradar.com/psp/f/101-greatest-gaming-moments-day-one/a-20061106104148727017/g-20060314115917309058/p-10. Retrieved 2011-06-13. 

External links

• Tecmo's official Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 website